The conventional toilet system is almost universally known and used. It includes a bowl normally filled with water, and a reservoir tank positioned typically behind and above the bowl or otherwise associated with the bowl. The reservoir contains a sufficient volume of water to flush the bowl upon operation of a hand lever outside the reservoir. The bowl typically is outfitted with a pronounced rim on its top perimeter and a hinged seat above the rim. The user may sit on the seat to defecate or urinate into the water-filled bowl, or may lift the seat to urinate. When the toilet is flushed, the dirty water leaves the bowl through a trap and piping behind the toilet and enters the service sewer line.
A problem with using the conventional toilet is that a splash and a noise is created when fecal matter or urine drops into the water-filled bowl. The resultant spattering deposits waste particles on the walls of the bowl above the water line, on the rim, under the seat, or on the user's bottom. Flushing does not always rinse the walls and rim free of the deposited waste particles.
Waste particles deposited on the toilet surfaces are, of course, unsightly and produce an undesirable odor. The unsanitary condition also promotes the spread of disease, especially if there is direct contact between the user and the germ-laden toilet water. Moreover, the noise accompanying the splash can be embarrassing to some users.
A list of prior patents which may be of interest is provided below:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor(s) Issue Date ______________________________________ 2,689,353 Schuster 09/21/54 3,383,710 Sumner 05/21/68 4,010,497 Menter et al 03/08/77 4,062,070 Prince 12/13/77 4,566,214 McCrory et al 01/28/86 4,890,339 Clark 01/02/90 ______________________________________
Note is also made of Chinese patent documents CN 2052789U (89209389.7; Aug. 1, 1989) and CN 2170334Y (93242321.3; Oct. 15, 1993).
There are, in the prior art, proposed methods for eliminating or reducing the splashing of the toilet water and the noise that accompanies it. For example, inventors have modified the inside contours of the toilet bowl so that the waste matter first strikes the wall or an add-on before sliding below the water surface (see U.S. Pat. No. 2,689,353 to Schuster and Chinese Patent Document 2170334Y). Schuster ('353) discloses a cross member extended diametrically and horizontally across the bowl just below the water surface. The cross member breaks the fall of dropping feces or urine in the hope of eliminating splashing.
Another approach is to alter the water surface on which the falling waste drops. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,339 to Clark, an anti-splash device includes a submerged motor-driven rotor for creating hydraulic turbulence at the surface. Instead of a static surface, the waste matter meets a turbulent surface which counteracts the impact of the falling waste matter and suppresses the splash effect that normally follows penetration of the surface.
The primary problem associated with the previously mentioned prior art is that the anti-splash device and its accessories have a tendency to collect waste particles and are difficult to clean. Furthermore, in light of the simplicity of the conventional toilet, any substantial modification to its construction has the potential of adversely affecting its usually efficient operation, e.g. disrupt the flushing action.
A much simpler alternative is provided by another class of anti-splash device which position barriers or deflectors near the surface of the water to break the fall of the waste matter. Ideally, the waste matter will then slide off the deflector and into the water.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,497 to Menter et al, the barrier takes the form of a disposable paper product which floats on the surface of the water. Although this system addresses the self-cleaning concern, other problems persist. One, the system requires that a stock of the disposable paper is kept nearby. The user must deposit new paper into the bowl before or after each use. Another potential problem is that the disposable paper has limited capacity to handle large amounts of waste matter. The paper ultimately sinks, disintegrates or otherwise moves away from the center of the bowl. If the toilet must be flushed before the user completes his act, that user must throw in new paper before continuing. Lastly, the disposable paper exacerbates the danger of clogging the toilet pipes.
A unique treatment to the water surface is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,383,710 to Sumner, issued in 1964. In this disclosure, a chemical is added to the water to form a layer of foam at the surface through which the wastes are passed. The foam is intended to cushion the impact of the falling water and also suppresses any dispersion of water from the surface. However, this concept is not feasible because the foam-making chemicals have not been widely tested and are not readily available.
Perhaps the most relevant prior art is the floating deflector illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,070 to Prince. That particular toilet system employs a floating deflector for receiving and dispersing a urine stream. The floating deflector has the form of a sphere or polyhedron, typically with a smooth and steep surface so as to facilitate urine dispersion. This anti-splash device, however, is directed strictly to deflection of a urine stream. It is not as effective with solid waste. The deflector does not stay in the center of the bowl but floats freely about the water surface. A non-rigid connector attached to the wall of the toilet is the only restraint.
The Chinese patent document CN 2052790U discloses a complexly curved object (ball within a "doughnut") which apparently is used as a floating member in the toilet bowl tethered to a ring apparently associated with the upper rim of the toilet bowl or to the bottom of the toilet seat. It would appear that such a shape would serve to at least temporarily trap any fecal matter and urine between the sides of the inner ball and the inner diameter portion of the "doughnut" or torroidal shape.
The present invention avoids or corrects the problems specific to the Prince '070 deflector, as well as the problems and inconveniences associated with the above discussed prior art. Furthermore, the present invention provides an effective method of reducing, if not generally eliminating, the splash and noise created when waste matter drops into toilet water.
It is noted that, although U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,214 to McCrory et al has been cited above, its disclosure is not relevant prior art under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.103 since it involves a technical field (viz., waterfowl decoys) unrelated to the technical field (viz., toilet systems) of the present invention. This patent is directed to a non-analogous waterfowl decoy featuring electro-mechanical means for lifelike motion when operated upon water, causing the decoy to move continuously and produce a continuous outflow of ripples upon the water surrounding it to bring live waterfowl's attention to it.